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Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief

Hi, I'm Reena! I am a senior and I am Editor-in-Chief of Crier this year. Aside from Crier, I am also in Debate, Student Government, HOSA, Poetry Club, & more! A fun fact about me: I can speak and understand Arabic!

All content by Reena Alsakaji
Shoot for the stars: Seniors share their future plans after high school graduation

Shoot for the stars: Seniors share their future plans after high school graduation

Reena Alsakaji and Josephine Mittelberger
May 11, 2023
SENIOR ISSUE OPINION: Letter from the editor

SENIOR ISSUE OPINION: Letter from the editor

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
May 11, 2023
RACING FOR RESULTS Racing across the track, Cate Stephan, junior, and Liliana Rivera, sophomore, practice for track. In the wake of an undefeated regular season, MHS’ girls track team has been working hard to keep their streak.

Girls’ Track goes undefeated, heads to Sectionals

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
May 11, 2023
In memory of Ms. Virginia Eib, our appreciation

In memory of Ms. Virginia Eib, our appreciation

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
April 20, 2023
Reena Alsakaji: 11,890 minutes remaining

Reena Alsakaji: 11,890 minutes remaining

Reena Alsakaji , editor-in-chief
April 20, 2023
GETTING THE BALL ROLLING Presenting to a crowd of teachers, Mrs. Tammy Daugherty, instructional coach, speaks to teachers about the performance of students and time management.

‘Teaching is more of an art than science’: In attempt to shift Munster more student-oriented, teachers reflect on how that process looks

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
April 20, 2023
‘her previous desires to become a teacher had not felt as daunting’

‘her previous desires to become a teacher had not felt as daunting’

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-chief
April 20, 2023
Hello, my name is ___ : Students discuss implications of House Bill 1608 on “Human Sexuality Instruction” and the ability to use preferred names and pronouns

Hello, my name is ___ : Students discuss implications of House Bill 1608 on “Human Sexuality Instruction” and the ability to use preferred names and pronouns

Reena Alsakaji and Josephine Mittelberger
March 15, 2023
Principal Morgan Nolan to have proposed 2023-2024 schedule following spring break

Principal Morgan Nolan to have proposed 2023-2024 schedule following spring break

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
February 23, 2023
BRAIN BREAK Winding down from lunch, a peer tutor watches a video with a student. It is very important for the students to not only have breaks to pace their days, but stay on schedule—otherwise, balancing all the different students’ workloads becomes hard to manage. Those in the photo are not identified to ensure comfortability and to give others an insight to what Mrs. Ramos’s classroom looks like.

‘Is that really access to the same programs other people are entitled to?’: A look into accessibility with Special Needs, a glimpse at students’ personal experiences

Reena Alsakaji and Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy
February 23, 2023
TEAM APOPTOSIS Posing for a photo, members of Team Apoptosis, top (left to right) Daniel Kim, Hannah Kotvasz, Noel Dorai, Ethan Loredo, Mr. George Shinkan, Hannah Loredo, and Arjun Keralavarma. Bottom (left to right), Dorsa Farahani, Shail Patel, Lily Hestjean, Femi Ololade, Pranshu Aryal, Kiki Petrovic and Campbell Gideon. The group met with Mr. George Shinkan to talk about the goals for their campaign.

Students begin chapter for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, goal $100,000

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
February 22, 2023
COPY AND PASTE Printing out a mock essay from ChatGPT, Gaby Ruiz, senior, poses for a photo. Since ChatGPT’s release, school districts have feared that students will utilize this resource for plagiarism.

Homework turned automated: following ChatGPT’s release in November, students and teachers discuss its implications for education and student creativity, as well as other AI

Reena Alsakaji and Josephine Mittelberger
January 25, 2023
LIGHTS UP IN TEN Putting on their stage make-up, Isidora Pavlic, senior, and Marija Pavlic, freshman, prepare for MTC’s State performance of “Wit.” MTC placed second overall at State, the highest Munster has ever gotten in history.

Theatre comes in second place at State

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
January 25, 2023
MHS likely to switch to block scheduling next year, Mr. Nolan says

MHS likely to switch to block scheduling next year, Mr. Nolan says

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
January 25, 2023
A sip of the season Staffers review four of the seasonal Starbucks drinks

A sip of the season Staffers review four of the seasonal Starbucks drinks

Reena Alsakaji, Seamus Keegan, Anna Evilsizor, and Damien Salahieh
December 15, 2022
ROLL STANGS As he makes the morning announcements, Mr. Morgan Nolan, principal, watches students scuttle in the doors late through his office window.

Mr. Nolan continues his morning announcements and “The Herd” newsletter

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
December 15, 2022
UNDER PRESSURE Representative of the pressure teachers are put under, the National Teacher Shortage has consequences on teachers of all ages.

With talks of a National Teacher Shortage, teachers and students discuss its implications at MHS

Reena Alsakaji and Lauren Hoogeveen
December 15, 2022
In light of hopelessness

In light of hopelessness

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
November 21, 2022

MHS to welcome pre-AP courses

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-chief
November 21, 2022
STRIKE A POSE Performing an extension lib, Lauren Sims, junior, and Scarlett Mrvan, sophomore, cheer into the crowd during the Aug. 26 football game. “My favorite part of cheer are the team bonding days, having fun at games and seeing our friends in the crowd,” Mrvan said.

Cheer has first competition in five years, comes in eighth

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
November 21, 2022
MAKING HER MARK Standing in front of the awards display at the St. Louis National Student Media Convention, Lauren Hoogeveen, junior and story editor, receives an Honorable Mention in Sports Writing.

Crier, Paragon win fifth place in Best of Show at nationals

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
November 21, 2022
GRAY HAT HACKING Shown above are the results from the project conducted by Mr. Ryan Popa, cybersecurity teacher’s, sixth hour class.

From the inside: For Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, Cybersecurity students “hacked” the school

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
November 21, 2022
Fall Sports: Girls Soccer Season Ends

Fall Sports: Girls’ Soccer Season Ends

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-In-Chief
October 20, 2022
READING BETWEEN THE LINES Reading through a copy of “Brave Face”, Lucy MacDonald, who identifies as LGBTQ+, reads about growing up, coming out, and dealing with depression. (photo by zoe clark)

An untold history: For LGBTQ+ History Month, students and staff discuss Indiana education for LGBTQ+ history

Reena Alsakaji and Josephine Mittelberger
October 20, 2022
TEAM TEACHERS During a PLC meeting, Mr. Morgan Nolan, principal, jokes with the staff while having group discussion. PLC meetings are held every morning for teachers to discuss student learning. “We want a chance to make sure teachers feel good about going into the school year, and that we are being clear and transparent,” Mr. Nolan said.

Paving the way for PLCS: teachers and students adjust to new PLCs

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-in-Chief
October 20, 2022
Staffers review old Taylor Swift albums in anticipation for her newest album, Midnights

Staffers review old Taylor Swift albums in anticipation for her newest album, Midnights

Reena Alsakaji, Lauren Hoogeveen, Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy, and Sydney Jones
October 20, 2022
Films in Wonderland: Staffers review Enchanted Garden themed movies on Disney+

Films in Wonderland: Staffers review “Enchanted Garden” themed movies on Disney+

Reena Alsakaji, Sydney Jones, Seamus Keegan, and Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy
September 29, 2022
UNITED To bring attention to the diversity in Hispanic roots; Adriana Hernandez and Christian Villarreal, freshmen; Adrian Chavez and Arantxa Rivera, sophomores; Aniqa Ali and Lauralyn Courtney, seniors, come together to represent their Hispanic Heritage. (photo illustration by marianna young)

Uncovering an Identity: Students reflect on representation in light of Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15-Oct. 15

Reena Alsakaji, Editor-In-Chief
September 28, 2022
KNOW THE DRILL Crier staff members walk into the brand new Media Center. Construction of the media center has students eagerly waiting for what is in store. The new media center contains brand new floors, walls, bathrooms, counter tops and more. The Media Center will be furnished around late September, but students should have access in the next coming weeks.

Opening the doors: Students and staff reflect on new changes to the 2022-2023 school year

Reena Alsakaji and Sydney Jones
September 7, 2022
THEY WORK FOR YOU Juniors Ayush Arora and Gaby Ruiz pose as the student body president and vice president elects for next school year. Apart of their campaign this year included advocating for an Extracurricular Outreach Event at the beginning of next school year and bringing back Cookie Thursdays.

Q&A: New president and Vice President discuss plans for upcoming school year

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
May 19, 2022
Pinning down the future: Seniors share their future plans after high school graduation

Pinning down the future: Seniors share their future plans after high school graduation

Reena Alsakaji and Josephine Mittelberger
May 19, 2022
Passing the baton: Mr. Nolan accepts new position as principal of MHS, beginning July 1

Passing the baton: Mr. Nolan accepts new position as principal of MHS, beginning July 1

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
May 19, 2022
Farewell, Mr. Wells

Farewell, Mr. Wells

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
May 18, 2022
OPINION: But I stand out as a fraud, an imposter.

OPINION: “But I stand out as a fraud, an imposter.”

Reena Alsakaji , Story Editor
April 21, 2022
Similarity: the standard for sympathy

Similarity: the standard for sympathy

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
March 23, 2022
IN TUNE Preparing for an ISSMA solo, Daniel Kim, sophomore, runs scales. “My favorite part about playing a solo is that it’s unique and it is a big privilege,” he said.

Fine arts in flourish: students in Orchestra, Choir and Theatre celebrate Music in Our Schools Month and Theatre in Our Schools Month

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
March 22, 2022
OVERLOAD Seen above are newspaper headlines about the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict. Media coverage has increased rapidly, informing students while probing a variety of questions.

Students and teachers discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict and possible current events class

Reena Alsakaji and Josephine Mittelberger
March 22, 2022

Choir students attend 2022 Midwestern American Choral Directors Association SATB Honor Choir

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
February 24, 2022
MUSIC BREAK At a BCC meeting, juniors Lauren Robinson, secretary, Tyra Wheaton, co-president and Meagan Hudson, co-president, dance together. BCC gives students the chance for proper representation; lack of representation in media and school is something many students face.

Not just a club: Students discuss representation in clubs & media, as well as Black History Month

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
February 23, 2022
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A page out of their book: Crier reviews some MHS English teachers’ favorite books

Reena Alsakaji and Josephine Mittelberger
February 23, 2022
IN THE AIR Practicing an arabesque lib to the Corner flyer, seniors Hannah Cockrum, Simona Terek, and Alejandra Alvarado, and Leena Campagna, junior, practice a stunt. This (stunt) is one of my favorites because we do a skip called a walkout out of this, Terek said.

Cheer performs at basketball games

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
January 19, 2022
JUMPING IN SYNC Peyton Collier, senior, and Kayla Bell, sophomore, do a front leap during halftime performance. Since this is my last year dancing, I want to make it count, Collier said.

Dance attends upcoming invitationals

Reena Alsakaji , Story Editor
January 19, 2022
PANDEMIC PANDEMONIUM Feeling panicked, William Oar, freshman, demonstrates the stress of covid fatigue. As more people begin to go out, covid cases continue to rise. “I do not think (students) take (covid) very seriously,” William said. “Adults in general, they take the vaccine and they think [...] they’re all powerful.”

Covid fatigue: students discuss pandemic fatigue and share their personal experiences

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
January 19, 2022
HARD AT WORK Deciphering images, Lorenzo Gutierrez, senior, and Stephen Glombicki, freshman, explain how they prepare for a competition. “(We) look at and use lots of practice images,” Lorenzo said.

CyberPatriot awaits results of State

Reena Alsakaji , Story Editor
December 14, 2021
JUMP SHOT Leaping into the air to take a shot, Zoie Bailey, senior, seeks to score a three in a game against East Chicago on Dec. 7, winning 59 to 21. Girl’s Basketball has a record of 6-6. “We are working on learning how to play together as a team because all of our seniors from last year left and it left a big gap in the team,” Bailey said. “My hope for the season is to make it to regionals.”

Girls’ basketball plays during the height of their season with a record of 6-6

Reena Alsakaji , Story Editor
December 14, 2021
OPINION: How we destroy girls during their adolescence

OPINION: How we destroy girls during their adolescence

Reena Alsakaji , Story Editor
November 18, 2021
One for the books: BookTok review

One for the books: BookTok review

Reena Alsakaji and Josephine Mittelberger
November 12, 2021
DRIVER’S SEAT For many students, the South parking lot has become a place of chaos both before and after school. With the number of crashes on Calumet and throughout Munster, the fear of driving is prevalent as more and more accidents reach the ears of students.

The dread of the drive: students discuss fears of driving and their personal experiences

Reena Alsakaji , Story Editor
November 12, 2021
SYNCING UP Taking a break after a set, Charlie Morton, senior, and Daniel Sroka, junior, practice after school. Morton and Sroka would eventually go on to compete at State and win State runner-up. “When I’m playing, I think it’s mainly just in the moment, you can’t really think about anything else,” Morton said. “If you focus on the ball, you can’t really go wrong.”

Boys’ Tennis season concludes

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
October 26, 2021
Sonny Hoekstra, junior

Falling into fashion: students adjust their style and reflect on the meaning of fashion

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
October 26, 2021
GATHER ROUND Working with the yearbook staff, Ms. Sarah-Anne Lanman, publications adviser, teaches InDesign features to better their skills.

Yearbook staff submits first deadline tonight

Reena Alsakaji
October 11, 2021
LOOSENING UP Dancing, running, jumping and stretching, Joey Hladek, sophomore, freshmen Charlie Ilijevski and Evvy Kikkert, and James Ferguson, junior, warm up on stage before beginning rehearsal. Theatre warms up as a group to prepare both their minds and bodies to get into character. “We just run through different acts (and) then we have a little powwow at the end,” James said.

In the spotlight: theatre members rehearse and prepare for upcoming play, “Harvey”

Sofia Sanchez and Reena Alsakaji
September 14, 2021
OPINION: Activism is not a trend

OPINION: Activism is not a trend

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
September 14, 2021
HELPING HAND Visiting a freshmen MRT, Vanessa Vasquez and Annie Gilhooly, seniors, discuss opportunities within the school. Link Crew members use their MRT time to visit freshmen and sophomore MRTs to share information about the school.

Link Crew visits freshman and sophomore MRTs, to last the entire school year

Atarah Israel and Reena Alsakaji
September 2, 2021
INFORMATION OVERLOAD Attempting to navigate another school year, students face an overwhelming load of content in a shorter amount of time, the skills lost to COVID-19 hitting hard.

Backed into a corner: students adjust to the return of a traditional schedule with lingering feelings of uncertainty

Reena Alsakaji, Story Editor
August 30, 2021
Students choose their future paths

Seniors scatter all over the states

May 12, 2021
Dr. Yvonne Stokes, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, attends the first Minority Committee Meeting. The willingness of our staff, students, and our community members to have some of those courageous and difficult conversations around race and equality (has impacted me the most).

Dr. Stokes leaves with an impact

Reena Alsakaji, Page Editor
May 11, 2021
“Not all men”: the build-up of unregulated misogyny

“Not all men”: the build-up of unregulated misogyny

Reena Alsakaji
April 20, 2021
PUTTING IT IN John Linnane, junior, lines up a birdie putt during practice at Centennial Golf Range. “I’m just hoping to make some progress with my game, John said.

Boys’ golf prepares for future matches

Reena Alsakaji
April 19, 2021
Students and teachers voice their thoughts on upcoming AP exam requirements

Students and teachers voice their thoughts on upcoming AP exam requirements

Reena Alsakaji, Page Editor
April 19, 2021
CRIER NARRATIVE: Everything is falling apart at the seams

CRIER NARRATIVE: Everything is falling apart at the seams

Reena Alsakaji, Page Editor
March 10, 2021
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Practicing a quarter cheer Hannah Cockrum, junior, focus on perfecting the cheer.

Cheer team fights against challenges

Reena Alsakaji, Page Editor
February 18, 2021
Ill get off my phone in a few minutes... but Ill watch just one more video. – Students reflect on social media and phone usage

“I’ll get off my phone in a few minutes… but I’ll watch just one more video.” – Students reflect on social media and phone usage

Reena Alsakaji and Janai Munoz
February 18, 2021

Juniors recover from ISTEP

Reena Alsakaji, Page Editor
February 16, 2021
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Practicing a quarter cheer, Hannah Cockrum, junior, focuses on perfecting the cheer.

Cheer team fights against challenges

Reena Alsakaji, Page Editor
February 16, 2021
DRIVING TO THE BASKET Protecting the ball against Kankakee Valley at the JV game, Yaw Awuah, sophomore, tries to score a basket. “I was feeling like I gotta do something to help my team out or get something going,” Awuah said.

Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball teams get in the zone

Reena Alsakaji, Page Editor
January 21, 2021
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